There and Back
by Armor and Soul
Summary: A regular mining trip ends badly for the two friends, Jake and Eric. But the cause of the aciddent is a mysterious one, now the two friends need to find a way out and discover something that defies logic. Teen for cursing and some gore.
1. Out of Service

**Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft or any of it's works, only my charcters.  
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**A/N: Hey guys, been long since I updated something on the site, well I got a gripped by Minecaft and quickly set off to write one fic. Well, R&R.**

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><p>There and Back<p>

Chapter 1

Out of Service

Eric sighed as he looked beyond. Zombie Pigmen with golden swords kept groaning in pain far off in the distance beneath the large stalactites of Glowstone and Netherrack. His body sore, Eric decided to take a seat on one of the many ledges of the Nether. He tried to peer into the distance in an attempt to find something but found only more rising smoke and red fog.

He reached for something in his backpack. Shortly after, his prohstetic metal arm, took out a gleaming cyan diamond. Faint streaks of red formed it's core. Eric couldn't help but grimace at the precious gem in his metal hand and swiftly threw it into the large sea of lava underneath the ledge just a few metres down.

"Go to hell." Eric grumbled before picking up his backpack and continued forward in search of a way out.

"Eric! Cmon man!" Jake waved with his iron pickaxe in anticipation while sitting in the minecart. His black curly hair swayed at the motion.

"Coming!" Eric moaned as he finally found what he was looking for and walked towards his friend. What many people found strange about the young man is his metal left arm. It didn't bug him that much when people whispered about the reasons why he has a prosthetic, many stories were so bogus that he even laughed.

Despite the horrible fact the his arm is gone, Eric still carries a youthfull smile. Several streaks of gray spanned across his short brown hair.

"We have finally reached the 16 level! I bet there is just a motherload of those little bastards just waiting for us to pick em!" Jake squealed in delight as the picture formed in his mind. Eric and Jake have been prodigy prospectors ever since they could wield a pickaxe right. A passion they shared, in a mine you wouldn't find one of them alone without the other. The townspeople called them The Iron Pick Twins.

Eric just rolled his eyes at his friend's childishness and climbed into the small minecart. After several months of digging through several layers of hard stone and several caves filled with various denizens, the two friends finally reached the fabled level 16 that is supposed to contain the most diamonds and other riches. It took them another half a month to set up a plausible railroad to the bottom of the large underground mine that is safe from being derailed. Jake readily released the break and held tight as the cart started to make it's way across the rail. With each second they passed several metres, Jake enjoyed the faint wind in his hair while Eric barely kept his stomach at ease, he was never a guy for great speeds.

Signs flashed by their heads; 30, 29,28,25,20... The two friends neared their destination with smiles, well with Jake smiling. Eric looked ahead and saw two long black hands reach from one of the crevices of the wall and rip the metal tracks like it was made of paper. His face turned into horror as his mind realized that their route is broken and they are approaching it fast. The only thing the young man could do is grab his friend and await their fate. Jake gaped at the hug, his jaw went slack as he saw the reason, something is missing. That is the only thing that passed through Jake's mind as he felt himself being pulled upward as the cart fell into the abbys.

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><p><strong>AN: Its quite short, but they will come in slightly larger packages and their updates will be almost everyday. Depends on my writing mood. The last sentence "...he felt himself being pulled upward as the cart fell into the abbys." meant that the force from the fall pulled him upward, I only realized tthis after reading it several times. Sorry for the confusion.  
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	2. Level X

****Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft or any of it's works, only my charcters.****

**A/N: Chapter 2 is up, I must admit that I had so much fun writing this small chapter. Well thats it. R&R :)**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Level X

The wheels of the cart squealed as they effortlessly turned in the air. The noise echoed and bounced back and forth against the jagged walls of the dark cave. Eric groaned as he recovered consciousness, the cold stone didn't feel very comfortable especially if your face hit it full speed. He got back to his feet and cursed as he saw the extensive damage to his prosthetic, the fist is almost completely mangled and the protective plates are either banged up or missing. Thankfully he didn't break any bones, preety much unscathed, but what about Jake? Eric snapped his head around the small shaft of light that barely lit up the chamber. A figure is laying not far.

Eric quickly darted towards Jake and tried to wake his friend up.

"Hey. Wake up."

"Just five more minutes, mom." Jake slurred, still aparently out of it. Eric only frowned and shook even more.

"Jake!"

Jake stirred up at the sudden yelling and opened his eyes. His eyes darted to several places, in an attempt to reassure himself if this is a dream or plain, HARD, reality. Eric sadly looked at his friend, recognizing what his friend was trying to do, he helped him up and checked for any wounds. Seeing none, Eric went to check if their backpacks are anywhere near and let Jake get over the shock, Jake was a sturdy guy, he would get through it.

Eric returned not long after with the two backpacks with a sigh of relief. He placed them down and took out several torches. Meanwhile Jake is trying to determine the hight of the entry hole from where they entered.

"I say about 30 blocks high. Damn..."

"And we didn't bring any wood or stone with us?"

"Nope."

"Don't you think this accident is a bit odd?" Eric asked after litting up the small chamber. Two passageways lead out of the chamber, each on the opposite side.

"Well, I don't remember leaving a bloody hole in the tracks!" Jake raised his voice.

"Quiet please... I don't know what I saw before we ended up here but... I think I saw two long black hands rip the iron like it was ricepaper, not even a zombie has that kind of strenght." Eric slightly shivered as he remembered one almost fatal encounter with one of the undead denizens of the world's chambers. His shiver intensified even more as there exists something that is even stronger.

Jake looked at him in disbelief "Are you sure? Maybe it's just we both forgot to put a set of tracks on that part."

"Jake, I never fool around in a mine. You know that."

"Yeah, yeah." Jake waved his hands and stared back up at the shaft, "So... What are we gonna do?"

Well we could carve a staircase up." Eric gave an idea.

"That would take ages. Even with an iron pick. Maybe one of these tunnels leads up?" Jake gestured towards the two pitch black passages.

"Well, I guess this is our only option." Eric shrugged and picked up his backpack. Jake did the same and now the two friends are staring into the passages, not sure which one to pick. Jake finally noticed the state in which is his friend's prosthetic.

"Hey, your arm."

"That is the last of our worries. Anyway, which way do you propose?"

"Hmm, I'm slightly baffeled, we apparently fell 30 blocks down from level 16. Shouldn't we be at bedrock?"

"Wait? We fell 30 or less blocks? No way!" Eric stared at the shaft in slight fear.

"I am never wrong about hight. But if we are beneath bedrock, then what level are we?"

Eric tried to keep calm, no man has passed the bedrock barrier. And now apparently they have just by falling without seeing a trace of bedrock.

"We have passed the barrier... But that is impossible."

"We should settle this when we get back home. Now pick." Jake cut into Eric's thoughts.

Eric shook his head to get rid of the thoughts that littered his mind and set his focus on the issue infront of him.

"Let's go left. I feel a slight wind going through there." He pointed towards the tunnel from his left side. Jake nodded in agreement and entered first. The pair left the chamber with only a row of lonesome torches to light their way back.

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><p><strong>AN: Decided to end it there. Onward to chapter 3! (Which will be longer)**


	3. Memories

******Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft or any of it's works, only my characters******

**A/N: Chapter 3! I decided to show you guys some of the past of Eric and his best pal Jake. I don't know if it's too depressing, but hey, shit happens. Anyway, R&R!**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

Memories

Eric, 10 years old.

"Grandpa!" The young Eric shouted as he entered his grandfather's house and jumped into the respected owner's lap.

Jason chuckled at his grandson and patted him on the head before responding.

"How are ya, Eric? Been good to mom and dad?"

Eric nodded a yes before returning to glare at his grandfather's long white beard, which the stubborn old man will never shave despite Grandma's protests.

"Wanna hear a story?"

Eric cheered at the offer and turned into a one big ear.

"This is a legend of how diamond was created. Before all of us, there lived a person who could do anything he wanted, build mountains just by the wave of his hand, creating oceans from the lakes underneath. The man was a happy one, nothing could turn his smile downside up. After long years of living, some say a great catastrophe happened and made the man weep, others say that he met a woman, maybe a man, and lost them. Needless to say the man wept, as he traveled across the world, leaving the blocks moist with tears. After the sun dried the blocks, the tears inside turned into diamonds! Many miners say that the bad luck surrounding them is because they are tears of a Maker, this one is mostly called as Herobrine, the Menace. After many years, the blocks were buried underneath the stone and rock."

Eric looked in awe at the slightly cheery and preety depressing story, but he didn't mind. He was a little happy sponge who would never stop smiling. Jason was happy that his story didn't lower his grandson's spirits.

"You telling him that old story again?" Robert, Eric's dad, entered the house unannounced. His brown short hair almost resembles almost a crew cut. Jason just smiled at his son and put down Eric from his lap as his legs began to numb.

"Well, what am I supposed to do when I am this old?"

"Well, you could help us to look up our support beams in the mine, we aren't sure if they are placed right."

Jason stood up, a little smirk on his face.

"You young people... Always rushing."

Robert waved to Eric and let Jason first leave the house. Eric also waved goodbye before running to the kitchen, lured by the appetizing smell coming from it.

Little did he know that he won't see both of the fathers come through that door again.

Eric, 17 years old.

Eric swung his pick at the opposing stone. Chips and sparks flew off it's surface as it crumbled into it's miniature form. The young man took the small floating block and put it in his backpack. Returning his attention to strike yet another stone block, his pick pierced nothing but shadow.

Eric turned towards his mining buddy, Jake, and called him to see the hole. The young man quickly rushed over the numerous little holes that spanned the strip mine and after a short two seconds he was at Eric's side.

"Whach' ya find?"

"Found a cave system. Since we are this deep, I suppose there might be gold down there." Eric contemplated the possibility of gold and maybe diamonds down the narrow shaft.

"Well then I will go get some ladders, torches, food and swords. Wait here." Jake ran off and climbed the rough stairs of the mine upwards.

After a few minutes Jake arrived with everything they need. He gave Eric some torches, two porkchops and an iron sword. Eric meanwhile enlarged the hole for easy access and moved away for jake to start placing ladders down. The ladders were done and Eric descended them, the cavern didn't really stand out of other systems that Eric had the pleasure of visiting and picked a tube that went down. A yellow glint caught his attention from the dark after placing a porch on the stone wall right of him. He approached it carefully and wanted to place a torch but something stirred in the darkness. Eric slightly gasped as a green form slowly shambeled it's way towards him. The most common of denizens was threathening Eric's life, the zombie, It's rotten flesh hanging off it's limp limbs and moans of pain that spanned across the depths of the world.

Eric slowly retreated but a strange action from the zombie made his eyes widen. The zombie flailed his arms with a stone pick in hand. The pick left the zombie's hand as the grip was weak and flew at great speed from the flailing. It spinned with deadly intent towards the young miner and pierced flesh. Eric screamed in pain from the floor as the pick is lodged between his collarbone and left shoulder, ripping flesh and cutting off several nerves. The zombie seemed very sentimental of the, now bloody, mining tool and enveloped the wooden handle with it's rotten fingers and tried to take it out, making Eric scream even more in agony.

Jake heared the first scream and ran towards the source, his stomach churned as he saw why. A zombie is ripping out a pick out of his friend's shoulder, with it not even minding to the ear-numbing screeches.

Blood stained the gray stone floor and the screaming completed the entire scenery of hell. Jake unsheated his iron sword and jumped at the zombie with murder in his eyes. At each slash the zombie just grunted and moved towards the pick he holds dear. Jake maddingly slashed awy at the rotten flesh until only the ribcage showed in the orange light. He was tired of this and stabbed the undead through the head, making it fall limp as it once did long years ago and fall with a sploch on the ground.

Eric for some reason stopped screaming, making Jake look in terror. Has his friend passed away? He quickly rushed to his friend's side and saw the gash that was once Eric's shoulder. With a more close up inspection there was shallow breathing and, as gruesome fate has it, the left arm was completely severed from the body. Jake cried all the way while carrying his near-death friend to the shining opening that called.

Eric, 18 years old.

"Boy, this is the finest prosthetic I can make fer ye." The bearded blacksmith rubbed off the sweat from his forehead as he presented Eric a gray iron arm. His old gray eyes looked in pity for the boy that is sitting in front of him, first his father and grandfather died in a unstable mineshaft and then his mother just dissapeared for no reason during the night. In short, he was admiring the young boy, even after years of hardship he still manages to smile. The gray strands of hair signify that the hardships left their mark on him.

"Thanks." Eric smiled as he gazed at the metal arm, he loved it in every single way. He took the arm, and with help of the blacksmith, put it on. As he tried to move the metal fingers, he could feel slight warmth at the stub of his left shoulder. The blacksmith chuckled as he saw the expression on Eric's face.

"That redstone sure can warm up. Well, I shouldn't keep you cooped up in here, go on."

"I don't know how to thank you."

"Nah. It's alright. The only reason I'm in bussines is 'cause of you and that fella Jake. This is a token of my appreciation."

Eric waved goodbye as he left the smithy. Jake waited for him outside, sitting underneath a tree. He sprung up as he saw his friend go out of the house with two limbs once more.

"Nice arm." Jake checked every nook and crany of the new metal limb.

"Yeah, it's cool."

"Can you feel with it?"

"No." Eric slightly sighed.

"Ah cheer up! Atleast you can mine all day long now." Jake cheered up his friend.

Eric smiled at the mention of mining and quickly started for the mine shack that was outside the village. Jake cheered as his friend proudfully and happily marched on.

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><p><strong>AN:Well that's done. Will continue the story in the next chapter. Atleast it's not a cliffy :)**


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